Organic Plum Oolong from Arbor Teas

The combination of succulent Asian plums, tart schizandra berries, rosehips, hibiscus and select oolong tea leaves create a blend that is a delight for the senses! The pink-hued infusion of our organic Plum Oolong is pleasantly tart with a wonderful fruity aroma.

When I saw the name of this tea, I wanted to try it. I love plums! But then, I read the ingredients … why hibiscus? Why? Now that I’ve brewed it, I understand why the hibiscus was included, it definitely adds a plum-like color and nectar-like texture to the cup. And it does – together with the schizandra berries – add a little bit of tartness to the cup which provides an interesting contrast to the sweetness of the plum flavor.

The combination of flavors to this cup create a very strong fruity essence that is, indeed, very plum like. I find it to be somewhat like a plum cider or warm plum nectar.

The Oolong tea is a little lost in this, though. Yes, I can taste it, but I find myself really needing to focus on the sip to get a strong Oolong taste. The plum flavor is more significant, as is the schizandra berry flavor, and these two fruits are pretty tasty together.

At the same time, I do find myself thinking that this tea could benefit from a little more Oolong leaf, and even a touch of cinnamon might be nice. This isn’t my favorite tea from Arbor Teas, but it is one that is certainly worth trying. It’s good, just not my favorite, you know? I like the dimension to this cup, it has a pleasing texture and a nice sweet-tart kind of taste to it, and these aspects make for a very enjoyable tea experience.

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see.

Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog!

Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!